Sophia Michaels
Adam Sandler’s latest Netflix comedy is a family affair. While fans of the comedian are familiar with his wife, Jackie Sandler, appearing in many of his movies in small roles, when it comes to the upcoming “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” it’s his daughters, Sunny and Sadie, who take center stage.
The new movie follows lifelong best friends Stacy (Sunny) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine), two 12-year-olds determined to throw the best bat mitzvahs to ensure their adult lives start with a bang. But when the school’s popular boy, Andy Goldfarb (Dylan Hoffman), comes between them, can their friendship and carefully laid party plans survive Hebrew school drama? Fans of Adam will get to see the comedian play his real-life daughters’ dad in the movie and likely offer tons of humorous — yet sage — fatherly advice as all the teenage chaos and drama ensue around him.
The movie’s director, Sammi Cohen, tells POPSUGAR that while the film surrounds bat mitzvahs, a uniquely Jewish rite of passage, it’s ultimately a universally relatable movie about friendship and coming of age. “What’s fun about being Jewish is you get together with people you love, and you eat, you dance, you sing,” she says. “But really, that experience is so universal. This isn’t just a movie about being Jewish. It’s a movie about being human. It’s a feel-good story that doesn’t shy away from the hard parts of growing up. I love coming-of-age films because it’s this thing we all experience. Not just once in our lives, but over and over again. We all have different experiences based on our culture, religion, and identity, but when you get down to the core values, we have so much in common.”
That’s why “YASNITMB” puts Stacy and Lydia’s friendship at the forefront. Cohen shares, “It’s funny how society puts so much weight on romantic relationships. I think platonic friend love is just as important as romantic love. You date lots of people, but your best friends are with you through it all. Friends are chosen family. This entire experience, both on and off camera, is rooted in friendship.”
Ahead, learn all there is to know about the movie.
“You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” Cast
Joining Sunny, Sadie, Lorraine, and Hoffman, the movie’s cast of teenagers will also include Millie Thorpe and Dylan Dash as Stacy’s other best friends, Niki and Tara; Dean Scott Vazquez as Mateo; and Miya Cech and Ivory Baker as the school’s popular girls, Kym and Megan.
Cohen says Sunny and Sadie “bring a level of authenticity to this film that helps set it apart.” It looks like the girls have inherited their father’s creative skills. “We would rework a line if it didn’t sound like something a kid would say today. Both Sunny and Sadie are so gifted, and they both have such a specific strength and tone,” Cohen says. “These characters were made for them. It was fun to watch them do their comedy thing on screen.”
On the adult side, Idina Menzel joins the film as Stacy’s mom, Bree, while Adam’s real-life wife, Jackie, plays Lydia’s mom, Gabi. Rounding out the principal adult cast are “Saturday Night Live”‘s Sarah Sherman as Rabbi Rebecca, Ido Mosseri as the highly sought-after DJ Schmuley, and Luis Guzmán as Eli Katz.
Cohen says the cast came together like family almost instantly. “We had time leading up to the shoot where I got to rehearse with the kids. A lot of that rehearsal was hanging out, talking pronouns, making TikToks,” she says, adding, “You form these bonds instantly, and then you have inside jokes. It really becomes an organic way to have these authentic bonds. It’s clear when you’re watching the movie, these kids love each other.”
“You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” Release Date
“You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” hits Netflix on Aug. 25.
“You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” Photos
